Kash Rajani used this bag to carry his things when he lived in Thornton Heath in 1993.

He moved to the hostel in Croydon because he left his job in Ealing and became homeless.

The blanket was a gift as Kash was cold at night.

Kash Rajani

0 mins 0 secs

Kash Rajani

Kash Rajani was homeless in the early 1990s:

"After finishing work, I couldn't keep up with the rent and I ended up at a hostel in Hammersmith. That was terrible, it was a dustbin, very grotty. I couldn't go for accountancy jobs because I didn't have an address, so I looked for live in work."

"Things were tough, but they're picking up now, picking up. I'm going to apply to Tesco's for some night work, filling the shelves - you know, high powered stuff."

Being Homeless

In the early 1990s numbers of homeless people in Croydon increased sharply.Many people became homeless because they had lost their jobs.

Britain's economic situation was very bad. The government increased interest rates on loans. Businesses were struggling to survive and often employees were made redundant.

Despite Kash's qualifications and his work experiencehe could not find another job for a long time.